Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton will headline the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, the third day of the party’s choreographed rollout of a new candidate, Kamala Harris, and her pitch to voters. In a delicate balancing act, Harris and the parade of Democrats speaking on her behalf all week are looking to harness the exuberance that has swept over their party since President Joe Biden stepped aside while making clear to their supporters that the election will be a fierce fight and frustratingly close.
Quick Read
- Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, and former President Bill Clinton are set to headline the third day of the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.
- The event will continue the party’s efforts to promote Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate, with a focus on the high stakes of the upcoming election.
- Harris emphasized that this election is different from 2016 or 2020, with even higher stakes, while former President Barack Obama warned that the race will be tight in a closely divided country.
- Harris is working to build a broad coalition to defeat former President Donald Trump, drawing support from various factions within the Democratic Party and even some Republicans.
- Wednesday’s theme, “a fight for our freedoms,” aligns with Harris’ campaign message that Trump poses a threat to rights like abortion and democracy itself.
- Walz will use his speech to introduce himself to the nation, showcasing his Midwestern, folksy persona that contrasts with Harris’ coastal background.
- Former President Bill Clinton, known for his lengthy convention speeches, will also take the stage, bringing his extensive experience in political conventions to the event.
The Associated Press has the story:
Tim Walz & Bill Clinton headline DNC’s 3rd day, focusing on a ‘fight for our freedoms’
Newslooks- CHICAGO (AP) —
Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton will headline the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, the third day of the party’s choreographed rollout of a new candidate, Kamala Harris, and her pitch to voters. In a delicate balancing act, Harris and the parade of Democrats speaking on her behalf all week are looking to harness the exuberance that has swept over their party since President Joe Biden stepped aside while making clear to their supporters that the election will be a fierce fight and frustratingly close.
“So much is on the line in this election,” Harris said Tuesday in Milwaukee, where she spoke at a professional basketball arena in battleground Wisconsin as the convention continued 90 miles away in Chicago. “And understand, this not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are higher.”
And in Chicago hours later, former President Barack Obama offered his own caution: “Make no mistake, it will be a fight,” Obama said. For all the energy and memes and rallies that have defined the campaign since Harris became the nominee, Obama said, “this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country.”
Harris is working to stitch together a broad coalition in her bid to defeat Republican former President Donald Trump this fall. She is drawing on stars like Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, and other celebrities, officials from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.
And while the theme of Tuesday was “a bold vision for America’s future,” the disparate factions of Harris’ evolving coalition demonstrated, above all, that they are connected by a deep desire to prevent a second Trump presidency.
Convention organizers dubbed the theme for Wednesday “a fight for our freedoms,” a nod to the concept around which Harris has organized her campaign. She frames Trump as a threat to abortion rights and personal choices, but also to democracy itself.
Walz’s job Wednesday when he accepts the nomination is to introduce himself to Americans who had never heard of the Minnesota governor until Harris plucked him from relative obscurity to join her ticket. His goofy, folksy, Midwestern dad aura has endeared him to Democrats and balanced Harris’ coastal background.
In the intense scrutiny that comes with a presidential campaign, Walz has faced repeated questions about embellishing his background. His wife, Gwen Walz, this week clarified that she did not undergo in vitro fertilization but used other fertility treatments after Republicans pointed to multiple times her husband talked publicly about his family’s reliance on IVF. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, called Tim Walz a liar.
Republicans have also pointed to a 2018 comment in which Walz refers to weapons “that I carried in war” while talking about gun violence. Though he served in the National Guard for 24 years, Walz did not deploy to a war zone.
Clinton, meanwhile, is a veteran of the political convention speech — and famously longwinded. He bored the audience with his keynote address at the 1988 Democratic convention, when he was the young, little-known governor of Arkansas. It damaged his reputation, but he recovered and when he next spoke at a convention four years later it was to accept the Democratic nomination.
Walz faces dual tasks in his speech in Chicago. The Minnesota governor, who has become known among supporters as a folksy, Midwestern teacher, coach and dad, will introduce himself to the rest of the country. He’ll also need to articulate the campaign’s central message, and theme for the evening: that a second Donald Trump term would imperil American liberties.
The third night of the convention marks a transition from Tuesday’s exuberant party atmosphere to a theme that organizers have dubbed “a fight for our freedoms.” Harris is portraying former President Trump as a threat to democracy in general as well as to abortion rights and other personal choices in particular.
To help shepherd the campaign’s message, Walz will be joined by Clinton – a veteran of the political convention speech — as well as a mix of the party’s other top stars. They include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Convention organizers say those speeches will be balanced by remarks from what they describe as “everyday Americans” whose freedoms hinge on the upcoming election.
Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of the nonprofit Reproductive Freedom for All, is expected to speak on reproductive rights, which Harris’ campaign sees as a key motivator for Democratic voters this fall.
Wednesday’s program also includes two governors, Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and several Democratic senators: Cory Booker of New Jersey, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
Trump, meanwhile, will hold his first outdoor rally since he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last month. He will give remarks at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame, his podium surrounded by bulletproof glass.
Many Americans had never heard of Walz until Harris chose him to join her ticket. In his first weeks of campaigning, he’s charmed supporters with his background as a teacher and football coach and helped to balance Harris’ coastal background as a cultural representative of Midwestern states whose voters she needs this fall.
But Walz also has faced scrutiny, including questions about embellishing his background. His wife this week clarified that she did not undergo in vitro fertilization, as Walz has repeatedly claimed, but used other fertility treatments. Republicans also have criticized Walz for a 2018 comment he made about carrying weapons in war. Though he served in the National Guard for 24 years, he did not deploy to a war zone.
Still, polling data shows that despite early hiccups, Walz has had a smoother launch as Harris’ running mate than Republican JD Vance, Trump’s pick for vice president.
About one-third of U.S. adults (36%) have a favorable view of Walz, while about one-quarter (27%) have a positive opinion of Vance, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Significantly more adults also have an unfavorable view of Vance than Walz, 44% to 25%.
The week so far has been a balancing act for Harris and other Democrats to harness the exuberance that has swept over their party since President Joe Biden stepped aside while making clear to their supporters that the election will be a fierce fight.
In Chicago, the convention’s second day toggled between lighthearted celebration and more serious warnings. A symbolic roll call vote turned into a dance party, featuring surprise musical acts like Lil Jon, who performed “Turn Down for What,” his song with DJ Snake.
But former President Barack Obama also conveyed a more sober message in his keynote speech, saying, “Make no mistake, it will be a fight.”
“So much is on the line in this election,” Harris said Tuesday in Milwaukee, where she spoke at a professional basketball arena in battleground Wisconsin as the convention continued 90 miles away in Chicago. “And understand, this not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are higher.”
Harris will be back in Chicago on Wednesday for the convention’s third night.
